Recipe: Vacation Catchup

Process a large email backlog after vacation or extended absence. Prioritize ruthlessly, batch-archive noise, and surface only what truly needs attention.

Prerequisite: Read the spark base skill for tool reference and filter syntax.

Access level required: triage.

Steps

Step 1: Assess the backlog

Count unread emails by category for the absence period. Adjust the time window to match how long the user was away:

emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:priority is:unread newer_than:14d" }
emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:personal is:unread newer_than:14d" }
emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:invitation newer_than:14d" }
emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:notification is:unread newer_than:14d" }
emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:newsletter newer_than:14d" }

Report the totals: "You have N unread across all categories: X priority, Y people, Z invitations, W notifications, V newsletters."

Step 2: Process priority mail first

emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:priority is:unread" }

Read each thread and present the key items. These are the most important and should be handled individually.

Step 3: Process people mail

emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:personal is:unread" }

For each, read the thread to check if the matter is still open or was resolved while the user was away:

thread { "message_id": "<id>" }

Mark resolved threads as read with action's markAsSeen.

Step 4: Process invitations

emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:invitation" }

Check which invitations are for past dates (already missed) vs. future dates. Only future invitations need a decision.

Step 5: Batch-archive notifications

Most notifications older than a few days are no longer actionable:

emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:notification is:unread" }

Review the senders briefly, then archive in bulk:

action { "action_name": "archive", "message_ids": ["<id1>", "<id2>", "<id3>", "<id4>", "<id5>"] }

Step 6: Batch-archive newsletters

Old newsletters have no urgency:

emails { "folder": "Inbox", "filter": "category:newsletter" }

Archive all but the most recent from each sender:

action { "action_name": "archive", "message_ids": ["<id1>", "<id2>", "<id3>"] }

Step 7: Review new senders (GateKeeper)

New senders may have accumulated during the absence:

emails { "folder": "Inbox", "new_senders": true }

Accept legitimate contacts and block unwanted ones:

contact-action { "action_name": "acceptContact", "emails": ["sender@company.com"] }
contact-action { "action_name": "blockContact", "emails": ["spammer@example.com"] }

Step 8: Set reminders for deferred items

For items that need attention but not right now:

action { "action_name": "snooze", "message_ids": ["<id>"], "date": "2026-04-12" }
action { "action_name": "changeReminder", "message_ids": ["<id>"], "date": "2026-04-15" }

Step 9: Report

Summarize: "Processed N emails. X need your attention (listed above), Y archived, Z snoozed for later."

Tips

• The key principle is aggressive batch processing. Don't read every notification and newsletter individually.
• Priority and people mail get individual attention; notifications and newsletters get batch treatment.
• Past-date invitations can be archived without action - the meeting already happened.
• If the user was away for more than two weeks, increase the newer_than window accordingly.
• After the catchup, run recipe-inbox-by-category to verify the inbox is in good shape.
• GateKeeper review is easy to forget - new senders may include important contacts who emailed during the absence.
• Snooze items to spread the follow-up work across multiple days rather than trying to handle everything at once.